Corpus Christi Catholic School

Inspection Report Corpus Christi Catholic School

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103725 Unique Reference Number Coventry LEA 276984 Inspection number 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 Inspection dates Gerald Griffin AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Langbank Avenue School address Primary Type of school Coventry Voluntary aided School category West Midlands CV3 2QP 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 024 76454931 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 024 76652714 Fax number 311 Number on roll Mr John Lappin Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Eileen Callaghan Headteacher 4 December 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276984 3 May 2006 - 3 to 11 4 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School serves the Catholic community in the south east of Coventry. Pupils’ standards on entry are well below average. About one fifth of pupils are from minority ethnic groups and none of these is at the early stages of learning English. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than the national average. The pupils come from homes with some economic hardship and the number eligible for free school meals is above average. The school is being reorganised and will become smaller in a single, redeveloped building.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Corpus Christi Catholic School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Corpus Christi Catholic Primary is a good school. The headteacher provides good leadership and, through her accurate understanding of the qualities of the school, provides clear direction for improvement. However, to raise standards still further the monitoring of some aspects of teaching and learning needs to be more robust in Years 3 to 6. The school has made good progress since the previous inspection. Standards are rising and pupils’ good progress has been sustained. However, more able pupils still do not always make good progress. Pupils in Reception and Years 1 and 2 make good progress and standards are broadly average as they move to Year 3. Good progress continues in Years 3 to 6, especially in mathematics, and pupils leave with above average standards, although standards in writing are a relative weakness. Teaching is good. It is engaging, challenging and motivating but in a few lessons work does not sufficiently stretch more able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The strong school ethos supports pupils’ personal development very well. Behaviour and relationships are outstanding. Pupils enjoy school and talk enthusiastically about the good range of trips and clubs they take part in. However, the school does not formally consult them on their views. Attendance is well below average and the school needs to seek further ways to improve it. The quality of care, guidance and support is good. Parents are happy with the school and feel it is providing a good quality of education. The school has the capacity to make further improvements. It gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Sharpen the strategies used in Key Stage 2 to improve the teaching of more able pupils, and particularly their achievement in writing. •Strengthen the measures used to improve attendance. •Provide formal opportunities for pupils to express their views about school.

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Grade: 2

Most children enter the Nursery with skills well below the expected standard, particularly in language and social development. Good teaching and learning in Nursery and Reception enable children to make good progress. However, by the time they start Year 1, most children have not achieved the nationally expected standards. Pupils’ good progress continues in Years 1 and 2 and overall standards are average at the end of Year 2. Reading standards are higher than those in writing. While sentence construction is at the expected level, the quality of expression and vocabulary used are limited. The school’s strategies to remedy this show real signs of success, spurred on by robust evaluation by the leadership team. However, they agree that more able pupils need to be further stretched in some lessons. Standards in the 2005 Year 6 tests were above average overall and exceeded the challenging statutory targets set for the

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Grade: 2

school. Pupils made good progress. However, results varied and were average in English 2 Inspection Report: Corpus Christi Catholic School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 because standards in writing by able pupils were not high enough. The school is taking measures to remedy this and standards are rising, but not yet quickly enough. In mathematics, progress is very good because of very exciting and challenging teaching. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. Their spiritual, moral and social development is very good but pupils’ understanding of the customs, values and beliefs of other cultures is limited. Pupils enjoy coming to school and show very positive attitudes to their learning. Behaviour is outstanding and relationships are very positive. Pupils benefit greatly from the school’s very positive ethos in which they feel safe and secure. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles, and put this into practice when choosing meals and by taking regular exercise. Pupils have some opportunities to take on responsibilities, for example older pupils act as play partners for the younger pupils and support them during special events. However, they have no formal opportunities to express their opinions on how the school could be improved. Pupils frequently participate in fund raising activities for local and national charities.

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Grade: 2

Industrial visits, for example to Jaguar, develop pupils’ economic awareness very well. Attendance is well below average largely because a small number of parents condone unnecessary absence and families taking holidays in term time. The school works hard to secure good attendance but still more could be done to improve it.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. As a result of the good teaching they receive, pupils make good progress. Pupils usually find the work planned for them very interesting, challenging and engaging and they are keen to learn. Some teaching is outstanding, providing work that really excites and captivates learners. For example, in a Year 6 literacy lesson the teachers used role play and humour very effectively to really challenge pupils’ thinking skills and ideas for narrative writing and this led to outstanding progress. In a small number of lessons, learning could be even better if teachers set more challenging tasks to really stretch the more able pupils. Pupils are very well managed by teachers and as a result, behaviour is excellent. This ensures pupils listen carefully, concentrate well and work hard. Teachers mark work very well and give pupils clear guidance on how to improve their standards. Pupils also know

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Grade: 2

how well they are doing from the regular feedback they get from teachers on their progress towards meeting their challenging targets. Teaching assistants are well deployed and make a valuable contribution to teaching and learning. They give particularly good help and support to the less able pupils and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. 3 Inspection Report: Corpus Christi Catholic School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, effectively meeting the needs of pupils. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes are provided with a stimulating range of activities that help them to make good progress. For Years 1 to 6 it is generally planned effectively so that work is matched well to the different abilities of pupils in mixed-age classes, although in some classes work does not sufficiently stretch more able pupils. The provision for English, mathematics and science is good. However, more opportunities for pupils to use skills learned in one subject to support learning in others need to be planned. The curriculum weaknesses in the last report have been successfully resolved and standards in art and design and in design and technology are now average. There is a well planned programme for pupils’ personal development, including drugs education and how to keep healthy and safe. There are good enrichment opportunities,

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Grade: 2

with a wide variety of educational visits. The many extra-curricular activities extend pupils’ personal development well.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support of pupils are good. Children settle in the Nursery quickly because of the highly effective induction programme which is repeated when children enter the main school. Procedures for ensuring pupils’ health and safety and child protection are securely in place. Arrangements for dealing with the very rare allegations of bullying and anti-social behaviour are robust. Behaviour is very well managed and there have been no exclusions over recent years. The care of vulnerable pupils is very effective and includes regular meetings between teachers, carers and outside agencies. The school works hard to improve attendance but needs to do more to persuade parents not to take family holidays in term time. Assessment data is largely used well to plan work that is appropriately matched to individuals’ needs and to set challenging targets for pupils to attain. However, in a small number of lessons these targets are

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Grade: 2

not sufficiently challenging the more able pupils. The progress of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is regularly reviewed to ensure support is effective.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher’s good leadership and a common sense of purpose combine to provide the strong school ethos. She is ably supported by her management team. The leadership team has an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and sets a clear direction for improvement. The quality of teaching and learning is thoroughly monitored and the school provides effective support to teachers when weaknesses are identified to ensure pupils make good progress. This has improved teachers’ planning of work for more able pupils, although more still needs to be done. Subject coordinators monitor work in their areas well. They respond quickly to underperformance and take 4 Inspection Report: Corpus Christi Catholic School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 appropriate action to improve matters. This is particularly effective in Years 1 and 2, where the senior leaders robustly support and evaluate this work and ensure targets

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Grade: 2

are challenging. As a result, relative weaknesses in writing and mathematics are rapidly improving. In Years 3 to 6 these checks are less rigorous and improvements in areas of relative weakness are slower. Financial management is robust. The budget is in surplus to prepare the way for the school’s contributions to new buildings. Parents’ views are regularly sought and acted upon and the inspection survey shows parents are happy with the school. Consultation with pupils needs strengthening. Governors are very supportive of the school and have a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The school has good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Corpus Christi Catholic School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Corpus Christi Catholic School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 4 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Thank you for welcoming us to your school and being so friendly. We enjoyed our chats with you about your work and the other things that you do at school. What we liked most about your school •You are very polite and extremely well behaved. •In lessons, you enjoy your learning and work hard for your teachers. •Your school is well run and all of the staff care for you very well. •You enjoy a good number of extra activities such as visits and clubs. •The school works closely with your parents to help you enjoy your learning. •When you join the school you are looked after well so that you settle in quickly. What we have asked your school to do now •Make sure that those of you who are particularly good at subjects do even better, especially in writing. •Improve your attendance at school. •Consult you on your ideas about improving your school. Yours faithfully Gerald Griffin Lead Inspector

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